Halfling Bard 9 | AC 24 T 18 FF 18 | HP 75 | F +7 R +13 W +8* | CMD 22 | Init + 5 | Perception +14
Marra offer a few words to the Shecheren "You know the items the pathfinders planted in the chest may have been what is needed to bypass the obstacles. Concerning shares as pathfinder we work together and share the rewards. If you you don't mind allowing me to examine the amulet to see if it contains magic that would protect it's wearer from the null atmosphere. The pathfinder way share the risk, adventure and the reward."
The elevator, receiving no input, returns back down and opens its door.
Shecheren says If you think the amulet will help, you can have it - as long as I get my share of the loot in the end., in a tone of voice that betrays more trust than before. I've checked it before, though, it isn't magical or anything.
Marra judgement is similar: the amulet seems to be a pretty mundane item.
Meleren then says It does seem like our only option is that elevator. Do we all want to go up there?
"There's no need for all of us to go, especially the frail ones. I suggest that the people who should go to try and reactivate some kind of atmosphere should be the more savvy with machines, but also those who are the most enduring of us."
Male Halfling Alchemist (Grenadier) 7 [ HP 61/61 | AC 20/T13/F18 | Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear) | Init +4 | Perception +17 ]
Sorry for the delay in posting - I had an absolutely crazy weekend, between lack of internet, lack of sleep, and excess of work, and am only now getting back to this stuff...
Boram joins Aetherys in the small room and readies a small vial.
Boram will ready his extract of expeditious retreat, giving him 60' move for 3 minutes
Aetherys and Boram (and whoever wants to come along) step into the elevator. Surprisingly, Meleren comes along as well. The panel is activated with the Ion Gauntlet, and the chamber once again moves up. Meleren double taps the controls - for 'yes' and the chamber continues its journey upward.
As the door open, a strong wind sucks out all the air - a terrible noise at first, then ever fainter, until the strange feeling of no air, a slight tingling, a minute bubbling in the tear duct, and a complete inability to breathe. The room is filled with complete silence: not a creak, not a whirr, not a whistle. Nothing can be heard.
A series of glassy panels form a semicircular array along the southern walls of this circular room. Some of the panels are lit but blank, while others flicker with a jarring, black- and-white dotted pattern. Many are cracked or simply dark. A throne-like chair sits before a mechanical table in the center of the room. A skeleton slumps in the chair, one bony hand grasping a large lever. Its other hand, wearing a strange, silvery glove, rests upon a glowing plate. The array of monitor screens on the wall are non-functional, though the “black- and-white” screens flicker with occasional glimpses of machinery and robots awaiting activation.
Male Halfling Alchemist (Grenadier) 7 [ HP 61/61 | AC 20/T13/F18 | Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear) | Init +4 | Perception +17 ]
As the air rushes out of the elevator, Boram quaffs his elixir, then lets some of the air out of his lungs as well.
When the doors are open, he briefly surveys the scene. He leaves his bow in the small room, then turns to Aetherys, points to himself, points to the glove, and makes an effort to let her know that he is planning to get it.
Realizing, of course, that there is a skeleton in the room, Boram thinks, Well, it doesn't seem that we'll be able to do much for that one, but just in case... Then he grabs his morningstar from his belt, steels himself, and rushes into the room...
Upon closer examination, the dead skeleton is that of a hobgoblin. The right hand of the skeleton grasps the lever, beside which a plate reads 'air pumps'. The other is inside a large glove, above which a small hologram floats.
Male Halfling Alchemist (Grenadier) 7 [ HP 61/61 | AC 20/T13/F18 | Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear) | Init +4 | Perception +17 ]
Boram examines the hologram above the glove, then removes the skeletal hand and inserts his own. Time permitting, he will also attempt to pull the lever.
Aetherys, her scimitar drawn and holding her breath, watchs the surroundings for any danger, ready to intervene so that that Boram can continue searching for clues.
Perception:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Female Human Monk 5 | AC 19 T 18 FF 15 (Mobility) | HP 38/38 | F +6 R +7 W +7 (+2 vs enchantment)| Init +3 | Perc +13
Adrianna is a brash young lady, sure of herself and her abilities. Of course she was in the elevator! And moving quickly into the large room to check out the various panels in a semi-circle.
Male Gnome Rogue (unchained) 2/sorcerer 4 | HP 36/36 | AC 17:13:15 | Init +7 | Fort +4 Ref +8 Will +4; +4 vs. illusion | Perception 14 Sense Motive -2
Cacumattus initially hung back, intending to let the larger folks take the risk. However, seeing almost everyone else file into the elevator, he joined them, thinking oh well, asphyxiation will be a new experience, at least.
Halfling Bard 9 | AC 24 T 18 FF 18 | HP 75 | F +7 R +13 W +8* | CMD 22 | Init + 5 | Perception +14
Marra is always looking for adventure she would take the lift too. Casting message spell linking to anyone remaining behind and renewing her dancing lights too Not that she expects the message spell to work through the walls
The rumbling is soon followed up by the appearance of two air elementals. After having spend several hundreds of years in airless conditions, they seem to be rather irate.
Aetherys draws her wand thanks to her wrist sheath, activates it, then takes a few light steps, and her dance of death begins.
Swift action: Drawing wand of shield
Standard action: Casting shield
Free action: Activating Spell Dance (+10 ft. movement, +2 AC vs AoO linked to movement)
Lost in a trance of fervor, she tumbles between the elementals, reacting more quickly than them, her sentient blade in hand. Positioned to tank and possibly grant flanking.
Boram's bomb is a direct hit on the elemental, and enough to snuff it out of existence.
reflex:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Frost misses her attack at Aetherys takes on a stance of pure menace.
Meleren moves forward, not to be outdone by the adventurers, and attack the elemental with his morning start
Attack, morningstar:1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 3 + 2 = 201d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Demoralized by the attack and severe injuries, the intimidated elemental flees back into the ventilation ducts.
Combat over
The room is full of breathable air again.
Your actions again allow you to make a dip check each for Meleren and Shechera
Pal 9, HP92 - AC 24, T 12, FF 23/ F +14, R +10, W +12 (+2vEvil)/ CMD 26, CMB +13/ Per +15(Dk Vis), Init +5, Move 20ft
Ragnar:
Celestial Horse, HP76 - AC 25, T 12, FF 22/ F +10, R +9, W +6/ CMD 26, CMB +13/ Per +5(Dk Vis), Init +2, Move 50ft
"As you can see, we work in harmony, and with care for one another - but we also extend our aegis over those who would treat fairly and honestly with us, we extend our hospitality and comraderie to all, regardless of background - we hold true to explore, report, and co-operate" Frost extends a warm smile of welcome.
Sweet. You guys don't mess around with the diplo rolls...
Frost sees a sparkle of realisation in both the bandits, who seem to have obtained a new perspective on life. Perhaps some day, when the time is right, you might even see these two in the Grand Lodge... who knows?
Female Human Monk 5 | AC 19 T 18 FF 15 (Mobility) | HP 38/38 | F +6 R +7 W +7 (+2 vs enchantment)| Init +3 | Perc +13
Adrianna continues to investigate the panels, and anything else she finds interesting, having barely had time to turn and face the elementals before they were destroyed or chased away!
Perception:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
Male Gnome Rogue (unchained) 2/sorcerer 4 | HP 36/36 | AC 17:13:15 | Init +7 | Fort +4 Ref +8 Will +4; +4 vs. illusion | Perception 14 Sense Motive -2
"Well, that was certainly bracing," comments Cacumattus, taking a deep breath of the restored air. He looks around the room for anything of interest besides the console and its erstwhile operator.
Apart from the silvery, wire-mesh glove that the hobgoblin commander was wearing, the room contains no objects of value.
Marra:
The hobgoblins must have been the sub level's commander. Karamoss was known to employ both waves of hobgoblins, as well as strangely constructed machines. The carousel level must have been one of the unit in the Red Redoubt that deployed these construct. Given that most markings here are in (hob)goblins, it must have been run by hobgoblins, and this skeleton must have been their commander.
The fire/electric skeletons below were also hobgoblin - though what animated them is anybody's guess.
Secret lore: it was the plasma grenade that they used to commit harakiri when all seemed lost. The commander had ordered the level purges of air, but the hobgoblins below didn't want to wait to suffer that fate.
The message in the lower chamber read 'Deployment carrousel out of alignment', and showed the little ring of chambers surrounding the control room to have shifted a bit, and halted in between positions.
Think of the outer ring of rooms (of which B1 is one) as a ring of rooms that can be rotated. After you fiddled with the controls, the rooms shifted to a position halfway between rooms, and the only exit is now blocked. The error message indicated that the holographic glove could fix it.
Female Human Monk 5 | AC 19 T 18 FF 15 (Mobility) | HP 38/38 | F +6 R +7 W +7 (+2 vs enchantment)| Init +3 | Perc +13
"If a hobgoblin could figure it out, then you should be able to do it!" she says brightly.
Then her face draws down into a slight frown and she says to herself, "Unless it couldn't figure it out and accidentallty sucked all of the air out of the room while he was fiddlin' around with it..."
"Hey - you be careful with that glove-thing!" Adrianna calls out.
Aetherys takes the glove, uses the elevator to move to the room below, then puts it on and manages to move the ring to the next position. A loud clanking, grinding and whirring can be heard as the carousel moves around, an then with a 'puff' halts in the next position.
The way out of the control room is free once more.
The carousel has turned the rooms, and a whole new room connects the egress from the control room to the exit of the sub level. Numerous alcoves are set along the walls of a round chamber, but only a few are occupied by seemingly inactive guardians. The familiar wide archway to the south stands open.
Lurking over the exit is a large construct, clearly built by the same people who built the previous object, but less of an orthodox warrior. This particular specimen is a tall robed construct made of metal rods and ceramic plates. Its face is a transparent glass oval encasing a system of whirring mechanical parts.
The construct locks its gaze upon Aetherys. Disturbing imagery and light patterns swirl across this faceplate of the creature, completely absorbing the magus.
Please roll a DC 16 Will save or be fascinated
Male Gnome Rogue (unchained) 2/sorcerer 4 | HP 36/36 | AC 17:13:15 | Init +7 | Fort +4 Ref +8 Will +4; +4 vs. illusion | Perception 14 Sense Motive -2
Cacumattus moves up into the doorway, retrieving a scroll from his belt as he moves. Reading it aloud, he sends a bolt of energy arcing toward the construct.
The fascination lasts while the construct is within 300 feet, or until someone takes a standard action to slap you out of it
Marra casts her silent scream at the construct, and bursts a little crystal in the head of the thing. Other than that, she sees no visible effects. (It's immune to daze.)
Female Human Monk 5 | AC 19 T 18 FF 15 (Mobility) | HP 38/38 | F +6 R +7 W +7 (+2 vs enchantment)| Init +3 | Perc +13
Sorry folks. Guess I'm a bit late to the party!
Adrianna steps up and slaps Aetherys, saying, "Elf lady, snap out of it! Don't look at the pretty lights - they are meant to distract you from your own will!"
